Ballad of Time: Prophecy
by Timestones
Summary: Yes, I know there are about seventy five bazillion Ocarina of Time novelizations out there on the net. But, what's one more, eh? Hopefully, mine will have enough of my whitty humor to warrent a read. R/R/whatever.
1. Default Chapter Title

Prophecy  Ballad of Time: A Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time novelization.  
  
  
Part 1: Prophecy   
  
By: Timestones   
  
  
  
Stories are one of my favorite things in the world. A well written story won't make you think you're just reading words, but actually seeing, hearing, existing in a world unlike your own. A good story allows you to feel the warm, spring breeze, to taste the cool, refreshing water of a stream, to hear the rustling of the forest trees. And there's all sorts of stories for all sorts of people. For those who love romance, there are romance novels. One who likes to have the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end and a chill to run down their spine would prefer horror, and others would rather be floored by a good comedy, or moved by a dramatic epic. Still, others just wan to learn to read, so they pick up their old copy of "Hop on Pop" and read that, and then some people like to read those stories where a young, buxom maiden gets her wildest fantasies fulfilled with some prince in hot, steamy.... uh, I mean to say- er.... Hey! You know what else is fun? Videogames! Yes, the two best things in the world: videogames and stories! (There are other things, but I'd rather not incriminate myself further by saying those things right now.)  
  
Speaking of stories and videogames, you've all heard of fanfic, right? (Course you have, you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't!) Well, have I got a delectable piece of work here for you! It's the story of a little boy from the forest who was chosen to save his entire country, and the entire world, from an evil power that threatened to destroy it all! Can you guess what it is? Here's a hint: the evil descends through time beyond that of this one boy. Can you guess now? No!? Okay, okay, here's another hint: the story involves a magical sword, and the boy wears a tunic and has a bit of a punkish haircut. Can you guess what it is now? What was that? NO! It's not about Crono Trigger, it's about the Legend of Zelda, you ninny! (For crying out loud, this story is even labeled as a Legend of Zelda fanfic!) Even I would have been able to figure that out! Sheesh, you must be really stupid to not get that!  
  
Hey! Where do you think you're going!? GET BACK HERE! (Sheesh, you try and tell a simple story and look what happens!) Anyway, much of what happens before this story is left somewhat vague, other writers have been able to develop a theory of how some things came to be (i.e. other fanfics that take place a few years before the events of this one.) One of the most logical tellings of these events was written by Lady Draco in the story "Four Races Stirring Under One Night Sky", and I suggest you read that before taking a dive into this story. Also, all these characters are made up, but not by me (as if I could come up with characters as good as them...). They are copyright Nintendo Entertainment, with the exception of characters like Cale, the sentry, Korrik, Nall, and Mara, the Shiekah, Kari, the inept Gerudo guard, and others, which are mine. (And lady Draco came up with the name for Rikki as well as the Gerudo, Tarra.) Now sit back and enjoy the tale of a young boy named Link, who rises above the odds and manages to beat the bad guys (and become Hyrule's biggest heart-throb).  
  
  
  
  


Prologue 

  
In another universe, another time, and another plane of reality, there exists a world like our own, but also very different. In this world, the things that fantasies are made of exist in reality. It is a world of magic, dragons, monsters, and fairies. One land in particular is perhaps the most mysterious and amazing of all the world. It is located in western hemisphere and is a peninsula that juts out into the White Sea. This land, for all its worth, can be considered a geographers's dream. It has every type of landscape imaginable! Deserts, mountain, prairies, forests, swamps, rivers, lakes, valleys, everything except for an arctic wasteland.  
  
This is the land of Hyrule, where the air is thick with magic, and danger. And with its diversified landscape, Hyrule also has a diverse population. In the deserts live a race of women with amber eyes and flaming red hair called the Gerudos, who, because of the harsh climate of the desert, resorted to a lifestyle of thievery. Where ever there's an abundant source of water, you can find the Zoras, a race of water dwelling sea folk who are half man, half fish. The mountains are home to the rock people, the Gorons. A fairly simple minded race, but with tremendous curiosity, strength, will, and skill with smithing metals. As for the prairies, valleys, and other landscapes, they can be inhabited of one of three races. First are the Shiekah, a mysterious folk with eyes the color of blood and the unique ability to hide within the shadows. This unity with the darkness, coupled with the fact that this old race of people have managed to escape the evil side of the darkness for so long, has earned the respect and fear of various other peoples. However, the Shiekah are a dwindling race, with only a few of their kind still inhabiting Hyrule.   
  
Then there are the Humans, who, like the Shiekah, are small in numbers. The humans also lack the special skills attributed by many of the other races, but manage to get by on their ability to quickly adapt to new situations. The third of the races are the Shiekah's sister race, the Hylians. Hylians resemble a cross between the Shiekah and humans. They don't possess the stony, pale faces of the Shiekah, nor their ability to blend in with the shadows, or the shiekah's blood red eyes. For the most part, they mostly resemble humans. Similar in stature, with similar features, eye and hair colors. The only cosmetic difference between the two races, is that the Hylian's possess the pointed, elf like ears of the Shiekah. But there are much more differences between Humans and Hylians than that. The Hylian's also possess the unique ability of magic. To be truthful, just about anyone in Hyrule, be it Gerudo, Goron, Zora, Shiekah, or Human can utilize magic. However, some of these races are limited to only being able to perform simple, or weak magic spells. Others are hindered by the difficulty they have of learning the skill. The Hylians, however, do not experience either setback, allowing them to utilize their magic to their fullest potential. It's this skill that allowed the Hylians to grow to such a large population and live almost anywhere they please.   
  
Almost anywhere. There's one place the Hylians cannot go. The forest that grows in the east, along the base of the great Rinado mountain range. Only two races live within the confines of the trees. The Kokiri, a group of small, elf like, bright eyed children, who live in peace and solitude amongst the foliage, doing nothing but what they please. They are the epitome of innocense, having no interest in warfare, or politics, or economy. Such an innocent race of children could easily be taken advantage of. That's why the Hylians, or any other race cannot enter the forest that surrounds the village of the Kokiri. In order to protect the children from those who would take advantage of them, the woods around them were cursed, so that anyone who entered them without the power of a fairy to protect them would be transformed into a monster.   
  
Fairies, they were the second of the two races who dwelled in the Kokiri Village. They acted as guardians of the Kokiri, taking care of them almost as if a parent would, and yet never imposing any of their own traits on the children. They could offer advice, guard the children, and mentor them, but could not control them.   
  
Also in the forest resided the Great Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest, who also watched over the Kokiri and protected them from the monsters that lived outside the village. It is a very old and large tree, with its trunk nearly twenty feet in diameter, and a very wise tree, and very kind one. In fact, this tree knew just about everything that happened in the forest, which was good, because this knowledge of the world would save not only save the forest one day, but would indirectly save the entire world from a dark and evil power.   
  
  


Chapter 1: Rude Awakening.  


  
  
The Kokiri, Link, walked swiftly, yet silently along the dirt path, away from the tall, stalks of grass. He learned a while back that if one stayed on the dirt path, that the monsters wouldn't come out and attack. Not that he was particularly scared of them, he just didn't feel like tangling with them was all. The sky overhead was dark and the air around him was cool with the chill of night. Link folded his arms and shivered in order to keep warm. It was strange for it to be this cool in Hyrule during summer, even at night.   
  
"I wonder why its so cold," he stated to nobody in particular. Even so, someone replied to his rambling. It was a tiny, slight voice, one that Link had never heard, and spoke to him with such a familiarity that Link would have been scared if this had been any ordinary circumstance. Yet, the voice also seemed strangely familiar. Enough that Link didn't give much thought about, or look behind him to see who it belonged to. Anyway, the voice said something about rain, which made Link shudder again.   
  
"I hate rain," he stated. "Especially wet rain. Come on," he called to the strange voice. "If we hurry, we might get there in time to escape the rain."   
  
As if on cue, the clouds above began to sprinkle droplets of water to the ground. At first, the drops of water were few and far between, but then grew into a light sprinkle, and then into a drizzle. Link picked up his pace once the rain started, but even so, the precipitation was increasing in force with every second. A rumble of thunder or two later, and the light drizzle turned into a full downpour, matting the young boy's hair against his forehead. Link wiped his bangs out from his eyes and began running forward at full speed. The ground was quick to absorb the water, and soon became muddy and slippery. Even so, Link dashed forward at full speed, kicking up mud and splashing in puddles along the way. The rain was falling so hard now, that it was nearly impossible for Link to see more than a foot in front on him. By a stroke of luck, a lightning bolt flashed and he was able to see the large, stone walls of the town he was headed for.   
  
"There it is!" he called out to his identity-less companion. He changed his direction and began running to his left, through the tall grass and on to the lowered drawbridge. The mysterious voice called out to him again, but the rain was falling hard, and muffled its words to the point that Link couldn't hear. Again, another bolt of lightning flashed, allowing Link to see a white horse with two riders charge at him with great speed he never would have imagined. With a startled yelp, he jumped aside as the horse rode past, and caught a glimpse of a young girl, possibly around his own age, gripping tightly to the neck of the horse, dressed in pink and white. She gave him a pleading look, and just as soon as they had come, the horse and its riders disappeared.  
  
Link stared after them for a few seconds, greatly confused. He'd never seen that girl before in his entire life and yet, there was something familiar about her. He turned around and gasped in shock as a man in black armor, riding atop a black war horse that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The man, who had amber eyes and short, flaming red hear, glared at him with evil sneer. Link stood transfixed, gaping in horror at the sight that he saw. Suddenly, without warning, the black stallion reared up and kicked violently in the air, whinnying a terrible, angry sound. The man himself continued to look at the small boy, and began to laugh a deep, cruel laugh. Link screamed in terror at this, and the man, who's hand was now crackling with green energy, fired a blast of power at him. Link felt the energy sphere hit him full force, felt the electricity crackle and burn on his chest and spread out to his arms, legs, and to his head, causing his vision and perception to blur. The entire world around him went dark, and he landed on the ground with a thump.   
  
* * * *   
  
Link's eyes shot wide open as he gasped in terror, expecting to see the hooves of the crazed war horse come baring down to crush him. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of a familiar looking wood roof above his head. His body was laying on the floor, next to his small bed, tangled up in a thin, white blanket. He was home, and had only fallen out of bed. It was only a dream. Just a dream, and no more. He breathed deeply, slowing his racing heartbeat, and calming himself down.   
  
He then heard a group of voices outside his door. Two were high pitched a small, the other two were juvenile.   
  
"Come on Saria, get out of the way so I can get up!"   
  
"Be quiet, I don't want to wake him."   
  
"Boy's probably already awake, the way we heard him scream."   
  
Eventually the voices made their way to his front door and peeked inside. The juvenile voices belonged to the two Kokiri, and the small voices to their fairies. One of the Kokiri was a girl, around Link's own age with green hair and eyes, a long sleeve tunic and green shorts; Saria. The other was a boy with a green cap on and a ragged green tunic, as well as a pair of green, worn shoes. He also had long, brown hair that fell over his eyes and made people wonder how he ever saw anything. The name of this Kokiri was Rikki, the boy that Mido always bullied into cutting Saria's grass.   
  
"Link," Saria asked in a concerned tone, "are you okay?"   
  
There was a brief pause before the boy answered. "I'm fine."   
  
"Hey Link," Rikki asked next, "why are you lying there on the floor?"   
  
Link sighed and scrambled to his feet, rolling the blanket into a bundle under his arm. "Well, I was kind of uncomfortable sleeping in the bed, so I decided to try sleeping on the floor boards to see if I could get to sleep that way."   
  
"Oh," the other Kokiri replied. "Gee, I thought you'd just rolled out of bed or something."  
  
The other two Kokiri and the fairies sighed. Rikki wasn't the brightest of all Kokiri, and his powers of picking up sarcasm were even less spectacular.   
  
"Is everything okay, Link?" Saria asked again. "We heard you scream and then a loud bump, and we came to check if everything was alright."   
  
"Everything's fine," Link replied. "I only fell out of bed and yelled out cause I was so surprised by it." He yawned, and covered himself with the blanket a lay down again, with his back turned to his visitors. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go back to sleep now."   
  
"Are you sure everything's alright?" Saria prodded the question, not fully believing Link's story.   
  
"Hey, if Link says everything's okay, then everything's okay!" Rikki replied for him. "Right Link?"   
  
"How does a guy expect to get any sleep around here with his two friends standing at the door jabbering away?" he replied sleepily.   
  
"Link, we're only concerned about you," Saria replied, but her fairy, Naomi flew in front of her, blocking the green haired Kokiri's view of the boy.   
  
"He's fine, he says," the fairy stated. "Now run along and let him rest. Go on, shoo, shoo!" Rikki and his fairy readily complied and bid night to the others. With Saria, it took a few seconds, but she eventually left the abode of her best friend, albeit dejectedly.   
  
Link sighed when they had gone, and lay in bed with his eyes open. He didn't like having to lie to Saria, she being his best friend and all, but there were times when she was too concerned for his well being, mainly because of the fact that, unlike all the other Kokiri, Link lacked a fairy guardian of his own. And while Saria's extra help was appreciated when he was younger, he now found it to be a tad bit overbearing. After all, he could take care of himself just fine without his own fairy, as he assured the others numerous times. And besides, what was he going to say? That he had a nightmare and he wanted Saria's company until he was comfortable enough to go back to sleep? No, that wouldn't do. He had many bad dreams in the past and none of them ever scared him so much that he was afraid to go back to sleep without someone else's comforting, so why stop now? Sure this was the same dream he had been having for months now, and each time it became longer and more vivid, but what did that matter? With a yawn, Link closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep, despite the fact that the dream might once again resurface.   
  
And besides, it wasn't as if dreams like that ever came true, right?  



	2. "Call of the Deku" & "Exterminators Extr...

Chapters 2 & 3    


Chapter 2: Call of the Deku 

  
  
  
Link never told anyone of his dreams involving the frightened little girl, or of the evil looking man. He didn't want his friends worrying over him, or Mido and his gang making fun of him because of it. And those who fell in neither group couldn't care less, so it seemed logical to keep it a secret. But despite his best efforts, it was impossible to keep the dreams a secret from everyone. There was one other entity in the forest that knew of the young boy's plight.   
  
The Great Deku Tree.  
  
Guardian spirit of the entire Kokiri race, the Great Deku Tree was an awesome sight to behold. It stood a massive hundred feet wide with its trunk measuring about thirty feet in diameter, and its bark was twisted in knots to form a sort of face: two bushy eyebrows, a nose, and a large, bushy moustache. But these features did not give the Deku Tree a comical appearance. Rather, it gave it the look of a wise elder, someone who would be greatly respected, like a grandfather.   
  
Yes, grandfather would be a very appropriate analogy. Like a parent, the Great Deku tree provided the Kokiri with what they needed: fruits, nuts, roots and streams filled with fish for them to eat, and the large, hollowed out tree stumps for shelter. He also provided protection for the Kokiri, using his vast powers to prevent the monsters that roamed the woods and the fields of Hyrule to ever enter the village where the children played all day, as well as their fairy guardians. And the Great Deku Tree did all this because he loved the Kokiri. They were his children, and it grieved him greatly whenever one was distraught or in trouble.   
  
And for some reason, Link's troubles struck and even greater cord of concern with the omniscient tree, because he knew Link was not like the other Kokiri: he was special. The Deku Tree knew all that went on in the forest, and while he forbid himself to ever pry into the minds of the little children, he could tell when they were troubled. And Link's dreams troubled the boy to the point where even if the Great Deku Tree tried to shut it out of his mind, he'd find it impossible.   
  
Link was special, he knew that. He was more courageous, cunning, energetic and independent than any of the others. Such traits were necessary for one who would be living the boy's destiny, a destiny that was coming closer and closer every day.   
  
The Great Deku Tree knew that the time for Link to embark on this destiny was at hand, but he couldn't help but think that the boy may still need more time, that he might not be ready.  
  
A sigh emitted from the inside of the Deku Tree. No, their was no more time to spare, he decided. There was only one course of action that could be taken. The boy would have to meet his destiny head on, and the only thing the Great Deku Tree would be able to do was pray to the goddesses that the young lad was ready for the task at hand.   
  
"Young Link," the Deku Tree spoke, even though the boy would be unable to hear him, he knew, "thy nightmares hold much more significance than ye could imagine. I know now that it is time for thou to face thy destiny." The Deku Tree paused for a second as a gust of wind blew through its branches. Some of the fairies that were already awake left the tree and began flying off towards the Lost Woods. "Navi," the tree called suddenly. "Navi, where art thou? Come hither!"   
  
Along one of the lower branches, a small, white flower slowly opened, and a tiny, blue fairy who lay asleep, curled up in its petals awoke with a yawn. The fairy, Navi was dressed in a rather simple, short blue tunic and wore sandals on her feet. Turquoise cloth wrapped around her forearms in armbands, on her head she wore a headband that was brown and green with a yellow zig-zag, with seashell colored beads dangling from small strips of leather, all partially covered with her loose, blue-green hair. The fairy flew down the branches of the tree with a gracefulness only capable of fairies. She stopped before the "face" of the Great Deku Tree, and curtseyed politely. "You summoned me, Great Deku Tree?"   
  
"Ah, Navi!" the Deku Tree greeted her. "Indeed I hath summoned ye. I regret having to speak to thee in such a hasty and vulgar way, but I have a task to asketh of you." Without waiting for a response from the fairy, he continued, "there is a young boy in the forest by the name of Link. Thou may know him by the fact that he posses no fairy guardian. I asketh of you, go and find him and be his fairy guardian, and bring him to me."   
  
"It shall be done," Navi agreed to the task, curtseyed again, and head off in the direction of the Kokiri Forest.   
  
"And make haste, young Navi, for time is of the essence!" The Deku Tree called after her. Whether or not the fairy heard his last words didn't matter, she could already tell by his tone of voice that the task was urgent, and she was going to take any means necessary to fulfill his wishes.   
  
* * * * *   
  
The Great Deku Tree, unlike what others may think, was not located within the Kokiri Forest. He was located in a meadow separated from the village, surrounded by stones and plants that, while large in their own right, were dwarfed by the tree's massive size. The meadow and Kokiri village were connected by a narrow path lined on both sides by dense shrubs. It was this path that Navi used to get to the Kokiri Village, and it didn't take her long to emerge on the opposite side of the path she'd entered from, into the village.   
  
While having been in the village of the Kokiri several times before, it never failed to fill her with awe and a sort of happiness every time she lay eyes on it. The Kokiri childrend were perhaps the most peaceful of all the people of the world. Uninterested in politics or war, the Kokiri were free from corruption like greed or violence, they only wanted to play games and have fun, and even though the Kokiri, Mido, was the self proclaimed boss of the Kokiri, there was still a lack of interest of politics. After all, the Great Deku Tree was their true leader, and Mido never really did much leading amongst the Kokiri anyway. Such a purity and innocense, it was a sight to behold, the children called the Kokiri, and it was because of them that Navi loved coming to their village.   
  
**::WHAM::**   
  
And it was because of that stupid fence that she came there so rarely.   
  
Navi lay sprawled on her back, dazed for a few seconds. Eventually she regained her senses and glared icily at the fence post. This was probably her eighteenth time in the village, and she still flew head first into that pole!   
  
"Stupid fence," she cursed and kicked the fence post, hurting her toe. She then contemplated punching it, but considered the fact that she'd probably inflict more pain on herself, and flew off, sticking her tongue out at the fence, just for good measure.   
  
After a few minuted of searching, the fairy finally found her destination. It could easily be recognized because she remembered there being a fairyless boy living in a house raised off the ground. Sure enough, there was a large sign posted in front of the ladder leading up that read "Linkz Howz" (the k in "Linkz" being carved backwards, of course.) She flew up to the entrance to the proclaimed "house" and into its solitary room. It was a pretty bare room, with a board that had marks etched on the side against one wall, a chest that contained some things such as toys and clothes, and a small table sitting next to a small bed, where a small boy lay curled up in the bed sheets, fast asleep. Navi flew over, next to his ear and began to rouse the young child from his sleep.  
  
"Hello!" She called cheerily into his ear. Link stirred, snorted, and continued to sleep. Not one to give up so easily, Navi tried waking him again. "Good morning Link!" she called slightly louder than before. The boy coughed and stirred again, then rolled over, nearly crushing the fairy.  
  
"Saria, I don't wanna play th' ocarina..." he mumbled drowsily.   
  
Navi was getting a little fed up with this kid, and so decided that maybe nicely waking him up nicely wasn't the best strategy to use. (You'd be rather upset too if someone almost flattened you, I imagine.) "Hey!" she yelled in his ear. "Let's go, up and at-em!" She tried sprinkling fairy dust on his nose. He sneezed, but that didn't work. Then she tried walking on his forehead, only succeeding in nearly getting herself swatted. She then intensified her glow, and walking in front of his face. Again, no luck. He wouldn't even wake up when she pulled his eyelids open and let them snap back shut! "How can the fate of Hyrule depend so much on such a lazy boy?" she wondered to herself. Sitting on the end of his table, Navi pondered what she should do to get the kid to wake up. She'd tried almost everything, and still he slept there in his bed. Finally and idea came to her: the rubbed her hands together and began chanting a spell in the ancient language of the Hylia, until a small sphere of electrical energy formed in her hand. She then flew over to the exposed ear of the Kokiri child, and using the static electricity she gathered, gave him a little shock.   
  
Well that did it. Totally caught off guard, Link bolted wide awake from the static electricity, arms flailing in surprise, knocking Navi out a window.   
  
"I'm up!" he exclaimed. "I'm up!" A quick glance around the room gave no evidence of anyone being there. "Hello?" he called out, stupefied. "Is anyone there?" no answer. "Strange," he commented with a yawn. "I thought I heard someone."   
  
"HEY!" a voice yelled while entering from the window. "Don't go back to sleep now!" Link sat right up in bed as the newcomer flew towards him. "Good morning Link!"   
  
Link blinked sleepily before acknowledging the tiny fairy. "Good morning," he finally replied with a yawn, before plopping back down in bed. "And good night."   
  
"Whoah, hold on there!" Navi stated, landing right next to the tired Kokiri's bed. "You can't go back to sleep now!"   
  
He opened an eyelid. "Why not?"  
  
"Because you need to come with me," the fairy explained. "It's urgent."  
  
"Tell Mido I don't feel like being harassed by him and his friends right now."  
  
The fairy didn't leave, Link could tell. He slowly opened an eyelid again. "What?"   
  
"I'm not Mido's fairy," Navi explained.  
  
"Then go tell whatever Kokiri you belong to that I'll talk to them when I get up!" he rolled over in bed so that his back was to the azure fairy.   
  
"What a rude little boy," Navi commented to herself. She flew over to the other side of the bed and tapped on Link's nose. He once again opened and eyelid to look at the fairy.   
  
"What do you want?"   
  
"Link says that he doesn't want to talk to you now," she replied in an air of indifference.   
  
With a grumble, Link sat up in bed again and looked at the fairy again, this time with a look of distaste. "Listen you smart aleck," he began to reprimand the mischievous fairy, "stop playing games with me, alright? I'm not in the mood. I told you to go and tell your Kokiri that message, not me!"   
  
"But I **did** tell my Kokiri that message!" Navi replied.   
  
"What do you mean you just told them? It was me you just told that to!"   
  
The fairy showed that she was impressively strong for such a tiny being by lifting Link's hand up with her own and patting his finger tenderly with her other hand. "Think about that."   
  
Link was losing his patience, not to mention beauty sleep. This fairy was obviously not going to go away of her own accord, so he was going to have to ask her to leave, _ politely_.   
  
"Listen, you-" Link's voice suddenly trailed off when the meaning of the fairy's words finally sunk in. He grew wide eyed and looked at her astonished. "Wait a second," he began breathlessly, "are you trying to tell me that you're... m-**my fairy**!?"   
  
Navi nodded enthusiastically. Link was completely surprised by this confirmation. For years, he had been shunned, teased, and disrespected by the other Kokiri because he didn't have his own fairy. And now, those days of being excluded from the games of other Kokiri and bullied by Mido and his gang, just because he had no fairy of his own were over! It was all too much to take in at once, Link ended up having to lean back and use his hands for support as all the realization sank deep into the wrinkles of his brain.   
  
"And now that I've got your attention, we can go and see the Great DekeWHAH!"   
  
"FAIRY!" Link exclaimed suddenly, snatching Navi out of the air and jumping up and down excitedly with her in his hand.   
  
"Link, stop!" Navi cried out. "I get motion sickness easily! Let me go-OOOOO."   
  
As suddenly as the excited Kokiri grabbed the fairy and started jumping for joy, he fell off his bed and crashed in a heap on the floor, releasing his grip on Navi. The fairy, enraged at being violated in such a way, angrily plucked a hair out of Link's head.   
  
"Now listen here," she scolded, "I don't know where you learned your manners from, but there are some things that I just won't tolerate from you. So if you want me to be you're fairy guardian, you'd better listen up and listen good!" A quick nod was the boy's only response. "Number 1: I am not an inanimate object, so don't snatch me out of the air like I'm some toy! Second: I am not your pet, so don't try sticking me inside of anything like a cage or bottle. And C: I don't care what the other Kokiri and fairies do with one another, but you'd better respect me and what I say! You don't have to do everything or anything I tell you, but you should at least consider them. After all, I may be small, but I have feelings too, you know!"   
  
"Okay!" Link exclaimed, hoping that the fairy wouldn't continue ranting in this vein for much longer. "I'm sorry I grabbed you like that."   
  
"You'd better be," the fairy mumbled to herself. "Okay," she began again, this time more calmly, "let's try this introduction again." She cleared her throat, straitened out her tunic and headband and stated in the same polite, sweet voice that she'd used when first trying to rouse the boy from sleep, "I'm Navi, you're guardian fairy."   
  
"I'm Link!" the Kokiri stated excitedly, grabbing Navi's hand between his thumb and index finger and shaking it vigorously, which he stopped as quickly as he started. "Oops, sorry," he apologized. "Forgot, no grabbing."   
  
Navi cradled her hand in the opposite arm and bounced it slightly. Her hand flailed limply in the movement. "Excitable little guy, aren't you?"   
  
"Sorry," he apologized again. "It's just that... WOW! My very own fairy guardian!" He stood up with enthusiasm. "This is just so great! I've got to go out and tell Saria!"   
  
"Wait a second!" the blue fairy called out to her exuberant companion. He stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at her. "You can't just go running out there looking like that!" Link looked down at himself. Aside from his green tunic he was sleeping in and some underwear beneath, he wore nothing. And the tunic, for all its worth, looked for all the world like a large pillowcase with a collar and belt loops.   
  
"Oh, right," the boy replied sheepishly. "Better get some clothes on!"   
  
"Leave it to me," Navi instructed. She waved her hand and sent sparkles of magic over the room. A belt and two bags flew out of the chest and wrapped themselves around Link's waist followed by a pair of tan boots that walked their way across the room and pulled themselves onto Link's own feet. The ensemble was completed with a floppy, green hat and plopped itself onto Link's head in a fashion much like the one sported by Mido or Rikki. "There," Navi stated, producing a mirror for the boy to see himself. "How did I do?"   
  
"Alright," he stated, looking himself over. "There's just one thing," he removed the hat and punched inside it, then replaced it on his head, sliding it over the back and behind his ears, much like the hood it was. "I wear it like this," he explained. "Now come on, lets get going!" With that, he ran to the chest to pick out a slingshot, and ran out the door.   
  
* * * * *   
  
"Sorry I'm late," the tiny Kokiri apologized, "But it was having trouble getting dressed because of Tibo."   
  
The male fairy with an orange glow snorted at the accusation. "If you'd just let me finish we'd have been out here already."   
  
"I can get dressed myself, you know!"   
  
"Oh really? Then how come the last time I let you dress yourself, you wore your tunic upside down, had your hat on like a sock and wore your boots on your hands?"   
  
"I was two years old!"   
  
Saria couldn't help but laugh at the duo. Ike, the small Kokiri, was the youngest of all the Kokiri in the village, having emerged from the Great Deku tree seven years ago. He was perhaps the most energetic of the Kokiri (next to Link) and had the most brilliant imagination, able to come up with all sorts of strange games, or ways to make old games better. His fairy guardian was a male fairy by the name of Tibo, who was hard pressed to keep up with Ike's antics or his wild imagination, especially when the little boy was on a sugar high.   
  
"Those two make quite a comical pair, don't they?" She giggled as she spoke these words to the other Kokiri boy reclining on a rock behind Saria.   
  
"Uh-huh," the boy replied, chewing on the end of a grass stem. This Kokiri was named Trebek, the youngest of the four Know-it-all Brothers. While not a swift as his older brother by three years Einstein, or as intelligent as the eldest Know-it-all, Gaspar, he was perhaps the most resourceful off all the Kokiri, able to make something out of just about anything, whether it be an idea or a group of Deku Sticks. He was also the fourth and last member of Link's small group of friends, the others being Saria, Ike, and Rikki. "They're sort of like the Felix Unger and Oscar Madison of the forest."   
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Never mind."   
  
But Saria wasn't listening to what Trebek was talking about. Instead she was listening to a sound coming from Link's house a few feet away. She had heard what she though were voices coming from inside for the longest time now, but always dismissed them as her imagination, as that particular Kokiri wasn't one to awake before 10:00. Now she heard yelling, and a loud thump on the ground. Worry overtaking her, she sprinted towards the tree house of her best friend, with Ike, Trebek, and their (as well as her) fairies following closely behind.   
  
"Link?" she called out as soon as she was in hearing range. "Link, are you okay?"   
  
The response she got was nothing like what she expected. Based on the last few days, she expected Link to half drag himself out the door and bark at them all to go away, that he was fine and just needed sleep. She wasn't prepared to see a full dressed and fully awake Link bolt out of the door with a huge whoop of excitement and literally jump down from his door to the ground where everyone else stood. He then hooked his arm around Saria's a began a sort of dance.   
  
"Wow, he sure is excited," Ike commented. "Do you think he's on a sugar high?"   
  
"No Ike," Tibo replied, "If he was on a sugar high, then he'd be running around the forest in his underpants like you, not dancing a jig with Saria." Trebek couldn't help but snicker at this jab from Tibo, which invoked an angry "hey!" from Ike.   
  
"I'm better than okay!" Link shouted in glee as he released his hold on Saria. "I'm ecstatic!" He then danced a little more in place. "I couldn't feel more incredible in my entire life!" All three Kokiri and their fairies exchanged puzzled looks with one another. Despite being Link's friend, they all had to admit that Link considered his life to be one in which nothing incredibly exciting or good could happen to himself, and here he was, dancing as if he just found out that he won the lottery. "I'd like you guys to meet my new friend I made this morning!" With that, he motioned to the blue, glowing creature that fluttered around his head. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my fairy guardian, Navi!"   
  
It then dawned on the trio why Link was so delighted. For years, he had been excluded from various Kokiri activities and such because he lacked the guardian that others had. And now, the new arrival ended those days for good. They all began congratulating him at once, asking many questions both to him and Navi, and saying how wonderful this was.   
  
"That's great Link!" Trebek stated.   
  
"Now you're just like the rest of us!" Ike exclaimed.   
  
"This is wonderful! See, I told you that if you waited long enough that the Great Deku Tree would send one to you!" Saria congratulated.   
  
Link couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. Finally, the days of being shunned were over!   
  
"Now that you have your own fairy, you can play fairy tag with us!" Ike stated happily.   
  
"Great idea," Link agreed. It was this game that Link always wanted to join in, because of all the running and yelling it involved. Navi, on the other hand, had different ideas.   
  
"We can't Link," she stated. "We don't have time."   
  
"Come on! Just one game?"   
  
"Maybe later but right now we've got to get going. The Great Deku Tree wants to see you!"   
  
All the Kokiri hushed suddenly at this revelation.   
  
"The Great Deku Tree wants to see... **me**?"   
  
"Yes, and he said it was urgent."   
  
"Link, this is fantastic!" Saria exclaimed. "You don't know what an honor it is to be called to speak to the Great Deku Tree!"   
  
"Yeah," Trebek agreed. "Very few Kokiri are ever called to the Deku Tree to speak with him. Not even Mido has been called to see him!"   
  
"You should go right away!" Saria instructed. "The Great Deku tree must have something important to say to you!"   
  
"You're right," Link stated. "I'd better get going then, see ya!" With that, he bolted off to speak with the Great Deku Tree.   
  
"Link," Navi called to him, "the Great Deku Tree isn't that way!"   
  
The Kokiri turned around and began running in the opposite direction. "I knew that!" he stated as he ran past the group. Ike and Trebek chuckled at the small mishap, and walked off to find some activity to do. Navi was about to follow Link when Saria stopped her.   
  
"Navi," she spoke, her eyes no longer joyful and excited, but somber, and even a little sad, "promise me you'll take care of him."   
  
The fairy gave an apologetic smile. "I knew you'd grow attached to him," she said plainly. "And don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to him."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Link ran eagerly in the direction he was sure the Great Deku Tree's meadow was. Always the most energetic of all Kokiri, Link could perhaps run at his highest speed nonstop for about half a day without getting tired or needing a break. And yet, he ran even faster that usually, fueled by the excitement of the past ten minutes. Not only did his own fairy finally come to him, but he was called to see the Great Deku Tree!   
  
Speaking of the guardian fairy, Navi, who always considered herself to be rather swift in movement herself, was having slight trouble keeping up with her newly appointed Kokiri. Not that she couldn't keep up with his running, but he had a tendency to leap over stones, roll, and jump about every which direction, making following him a more difficult task than it should have been.  
  
** ::WHUMP::**  
  
Especially when she'd just crashed into that same fence for the umpteenth time now!  
  
Scrambling to climb over the fence, she called out for Link to stop. The boy complied and walked over to where the fairy kneeled on top of the fencepost. "You think you could slow down a bit," she asked between gasps for breath.  
  
"Sorry," Link replied. "I'm not used to having someone follow me. Here, you can ride on my shoulder if you want to."  
  
"Thank you," Navi accepted the offer and landed on Link's right shoulder. "We should be close to the path now. It's right up there I imagine."  
  
Link looked in the direction in which the fairy pointed and froze, his face suddenly becoming pale. "Hey Navi," he stated, "you know what? I think I'll go play with Ike, Trebek and Saria for a while. I'm sure the Great Deku Tree can wait a bit."  
  
"Link!" Navi exclaimed in shock. "You can't just make the Deku Tree wait like that, its disrespectful!"  
  
"I don't want to disrespect the Great Deku Tree," Link explained, turning his back on the direction of the path entrance. "It's just that..."  
  
"Link, you don't need to be afraid of the Great Deku Tree," Navi stated. "He won't do anything to hurt you."  
  
"It's not that!" Link shouted at her. "It's.... THEM!" and with that, Link jabbed his finger at three Kokiri who stood around the path entrance, laughing amongst themselves. On the right of the entrance (facing out to the forest) was the oldest of the Know-it-all Brothers, Gaspar. He stood at about three feet six inches tall and had messy, brown hair. He was the most intelligent of all the Kokiri, knowing the most about the outside world and its workings, as well as things about the forest itself. Because he knew so much, he looked down on many of the other Kokiri as being stupid and not know much of anything. On the left side of the entrance was a girl Kokiri with long, curly, blond hair. She wore a white shirt with a green vest, and a pair of green shorts. Her name, was Kara, perhaps the most respected (or feared) of all the Kokiri girls, possessing a sharp tongue, hard hitting words, and even harder hitting fists. She was said to be able to beat up any of the Kokiri, being a better fighter than all of them, except maybe Link (although he didn't care to find out). And between the two of them was perhaps the one Kokiri Link disliked the most: Mido. Mido, was an average sized Kokiri, wearing clothes similar to that of the Know-it- alls or Rikki, with orange hair and puffy cheeks. He was the self appointed "boss" of all the Kokiri, bullying many of the other Kokiri into doing things around the village, although to be fair, they weren't all just for his benefit. Still, that wasn't any of Link's concern. What was his concern was the fact that Mido for some reason made it his personal duty to make Link's very life miserable. And to make matters worse, Kara and Gaspar were more than willing to lend a helping hand.  
  
"Oh don't be afraid of them," Navi persisted. "Just go up there and go past them into the path."  
  
Link began walking towards the path to do just that, though he was sure that it wouldn't work. Not when all three of them were together.  
  
Sure enough, Mido more than easily spotted the familiar Kokiri approach them. "Well well, if it isn't Mr. No-fairy!" He greeted with a sneer.  
  
"Hi Mido," Link replied with a grunt as he swiftly walked past the Kokiri Boss. "Bye Mido."  
  
"Whoah, hold it Mr. No-fairy!" Mido grabbed Link by the end of the collar. "Where do you think You're going?"  
  
"For your information," Link snapped angrily, "I do so have a fairy!"  
  
"Oh yeah," Gaspar chastised, "Well then where is she? In your imagination?" That seemed to get a laugh from the other two Kokiri, even the fairies joined in the taunting by repeating 'Mr. No-fairy' over and over between laughs.   
  
"I'm right here!" Navi pipped up, raising herself from Link's shoulder. That seemed to shut the six bullies up for a minute.   
  
"That's a fairy?" Mido's own fairy finally broke the silence. "No way! Must be some sort of talking, blue firefly!"   
  
"Whoever heard of a blue fairy?" Kara's fairy sneered.   
  
"What a freak!" Mido's fairy added.   
  
"Actually, she's kinda cute looking," Gaspar's fairy, a male by the name of Mikal stated.  
  
"Shut up!" the other two female fairies snapped.   
  
"You leave Navi out of this!" Link growled angrily. The two female fairies burst out in laughter at the name of the blue fairy.   
  
"Navi! A freak name for a freak fairy!" Kara's fairy howled in laughter.   
  
"I'm not a freak!" Navi snapped bitterly. "And at least I'm not a bimbo like the two of you!"  
  
The two fairies laughter suddenly turned to crying at having been so cruelly insulted. With a smug smile, Navi sat herself back down on the top of Link's head.   
  
"You're fairy's got a smart mouth, kid," Kara snarled angrily. "You better make her apologize right now before I give you a black eye!"  
  
"I'm not apologizing for anything!" Navi yelled. "You make THEM apologize to ME!"  
  
"I don't have time for this!" Link yelled in frustration. "I have to go see the Deku Tree right away! Now if you'll excuse me..."  
  
"Hold it pipsqueak!" Mido blocked Link's way into the path. "Just what makes you think that the Great Deku Tree would want to see the likes of you?"  
  
"The Great Deku Tree sent me to Link this morning to bring him right away," Navi explained cooly.   
  
"So unless you want to make the Great Deku Tree mad, you'd better get out of my way!" Link thundered.   
  
"I got a better idea, how about I don't!" Mido stated with a shove. "The Great Deku Tree only calls on those who are brave, strong, and intelligent, like a hero! Not on some scrawny runt like you"   
  
"That would explain why none of you have never been called on to see him, then," Link made the insult that Mido had obviously left himself open to.  
  
"Hey, shut up!" Gaspar smacked Link the back of the head.   
  
"How do you know that Link isn't any of those things you said?" Navi argued. "How do you know he's not like a hero?"   
  
"Uh... because... because a hero has a sword and a shield!" Mido stumbled for an answer. "If Link hade those then I'd gladly let him through, but he doesn't so he doesn't get to go through!"   
  
"Mido, you'd better let me though or I'll..."   
  
"You'll what runt?" Kara snarled. Behind him, Link could hear Gaspar cracking his knuckles. Mido smiled smugly, obviously having won the battle.   
  
"Let's go Navi," Link said bitterly.   
  
"But Link...!"  
  
"You heard him, go on already!" Mido's fairy barked.   
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
"I can't believe you just gave into him so easily," Navi explained her astonishment to her companion.  
  
"What could I have done?" Link grumbled. "They would have just beat me up and I still wouldn't be able to see the Deku Tree." he drew in the dirt of the Kokiri training grounds with his finger. "Guess I won't get to be seeing the Great Deku Tree after all."   
  
"Oh come on Link, I can't stand to see you like this," Navi complained. "Listen, you can just sit here and sulk, or you can make Mido eat his words!"   
  
"And how am I supposed to do that!?" Link snapped bitterly. "I'd need a sword and shield to do that!"   
  
"Well you could easily get a shield from the Kokiri shop," Navi explained.   
  
"But what about a sword? Those aren't exactly easy to come by in the forest!"   
  
"No, but I do know where you can get one."   
  
Link looked up at his fairy guardian with interest. "Where?"   
  
Navi chuckled with self satisfaction. "Follow me," she instructed, and flew off to the rock wall that bordered the training grounds. Link picked himself off the ground and did as he was instructed. He watched as the fairy flew lower to the ground and zipped into a hole near the walls base.   
  
"Navi, what're you doing?" Link asked. "That tunnel doesn't go anywhere."   
  
"Wanna bet?"  
  
"Its just a dead end. What happens if I get stuck?"   
  
"Trust me, you won't get stuck," Navi assured him. "Now come on!"   
  
Realizing that he didn't have much choice if he wanted to see the Deku Tree, Link followed the fairy into the tunnel, crawling on his belly like a snake. He even had to move like one, as the tunnel was very narrow, and gave little room for him to move his arms, so he ended up having to wriggle and use his forearms and feet to push himself forward little by little, with only Navi's glow to direct him. And then he came to it, the dead end of the tunnel.  
  
"See?" Link exclaimed. "I told you it didn't lead anywhere! Now I'm stuck here and its all your fault!"   
  
"Don't be so dramatic Link," Navi sighed. "Just push on this wall with your hand."   
  
Although he didn't see what good this would do, Link did as he was told. Surprisingly, the wall crumbled, revealing even more tunnel for Link to follow. After a few minutes of crawling and stopping to knock down false walls, Link was finally at the end of the tunnel. Now he stood at the beginning of a large, stone maze.   
  
"The Kokiri's Sword, the sword you'll need to get past Mido, is in the middle of this maze," Navi explained. "This maze is a test of strength, bravery, and perseverance, and you'll need all these things in order to get the center.   
  
"No problem," Link said. "Piece of cake!"   
  
"There's just one other thing," Navi added. At that moment, a large, round boulder went rolling by, filling up just about the entire maze path. "You have to do it without getting crushed by the boulder."   
  
Link looked at his fairy with a look that plainly said "you're kidding me, right?" Still, he was close to where the sword lay hidden, and to turn back now was to admit defeat. Besides, the thought of what Mido would say when he saw him with the sword was tempting enough. So Link sat on the ground and began to think of what he should do. During that time the boulder came rolling back around the path. It was then he got an idea. Waiting for the boulder to roll by again, Link jumped out as soon as it passed and followed it down the pathway into the maze. After a few minutes, Link broke off from the path the boulder rolled around in and headed deeper into the maze of stone, carefully making sure that when he back tracked, he didn't enter the outer path until just after the boulder rolled bye. Finally, he made his way to the center of the maze, and there, sitting atop a small stone pedestal, was a large chest. Link walked over, opened it, and pulled out the treasure at the center of the maze: The Kokiri's Sword!   
  
"I did it!" he exclaimed happily, unsheathing the sword to get a better look at it. The sword was actually nothing more than a large throwing knife, with its blade only about a foot and a half in length. Still, Link was thrilled, and excitedly swung the sword a couple of times.  
  
"Hey, careful with that thing!" Navi cried. "You nearly cut me in half!"   
  
"Oh, sorry Navi!" Link giggled apologetically. "I was just thinking of the look on Mido's face when I show up with this!" he held the sword above his head. "Now all I need is to get a Deku Shield and we'll be all set!"   
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
Mido supported his head and looked at his fairy lazily. She, as well as Kara's fairy, had been ranting and raving for about half an hour now about how Navi had insulted them and how Mido and Kara had to do something about it. Mido had agreed that he'd stuff Navi in a bottle later and beat Link over the head with it, but the fairies still insisted on jabbering on, and on, and on, and on....   
  
"HEY MIDO!" the Kokiri Boss jolted awake as he heard his name yelled out. He expected his fairy to be the one who yelled, having caught him dozing off. Or he thought it might have been Gaspar, trying to wake him so they could slip away unnoticed, and he'd imagined that it was being yelled. What he didn't expect to see, was Link come running up to where the six of them lazed about, a cocksure grin across his face.   
  
"What do you want now?" Mido snapped angrily. "Didn't you get the message? Take your fairy and get out of here!" Mido couldn't help but notice a leather belt strap draped across Link's left shoulder. Although what it was for, he had no idea.   
  
"You told me I could go through if I brought a sword and shield with me," Link replied matter-of-factly. "And, well, I did!"   
  
"Oh yeah, sure," Kara chided, tapping the Deku Shield strapped to Link's back. "Really nice shield. I'm sure that slab of hardboard will fend off a raging monster."   
  
"Yeah, and didn't we say you needed a shield AND a sword?" Gaspar snorted. "It either both or no go!"   
  
"A sword?" Link asked in fake curiosity. "You mean like," he unsheathed the Kokiri's Sword that was hidden beneath his shield, "this one?"   
  
All three Kokiri and their fairies gasped in shock. Mido's eyes nearly popped out their sockets, he couldn't believe what he saw. "Th-t-that's the Kokiri's Sword!" he sputtered in disbelief. "Where the heck did you find that!?"   
  
Link replaced the sword in its sheath, its work being done. "I'm not telling!" he jeered. "Now if you'll excuse me..." he pushed Mido aside to go through. Like before, the Kokiri grabbed him by the collar and spun him around.  
  
"Hold on a sec!" Mido commanded. "Who said you could go through!?"   
  
"But you said I could go through If I had a sword and a shield," Link replied.  
  
"I changed my mind!" Mido sneered.  
  
"That's not fair Mido !" Link exclaimed angrily.  
  
"Tough cookies, now scram!"   
  
"No," Link protested. "You can't make me!"   
  
Link regretted having said that as soon as Gaspar grabbed his shoulder. Mido grabbed the other one, and they both hoisted Link off the ground. "Watch me," Mido laughed, and with a mighty swing, he and Gaspar threw Link backwards, causing to tumbled head over heals all the way down into the small creek that passed the entrance.   
  
"Have a nice trip! See ya next fall!" The fairy's joked cruelly. The six bullies all broke out into laughter and returned to lazing about in front of the path entrance.   
  
  
Link splashed and flailed until he finally was able to pull himself back to the shoreline. He watched as the other Kokiri and their fairies all laughed at him and returned to the path entrance. He bit his lip and smacked his fist against the water, trying greatly to hold back his tears.   
  
"Link?" the soft voice questioned in a concerned tone. Link turned to see Navi fluttering by his head.   
  
"Go away," he sniffled.   
  
"Come on Link, don't cry," Navi urged. "It won't help anything."   
  
"Those bullies," Link continued sulking. "It's not fair! They don't have any right to be so mean!"   
  
"I know Link," Navi agreed, remembering the stinging words of their fairies earlier. "But we can't just let something like this stop us. We can't give up."   
  
"How am I supposed to get past them!?" Link bawled. "They'll just do the same thing again and again!"   
  
Navi didn't like seeing her new friend like this. "Link, you know what your problem is? You just let them walk all over you! How do you expect them to ever respect you or be nice to you if you just let them do stuff like that to you?"   
  
Link wiped his nose and looked at his fairy questioningly. "There's a way to request things of people," Navi explained. "You have to be assertive and let them know who's boss!"   
  
"How?" was his only reply.   
  
Navi thought for a moment, and a clever idea popped into her mind. "Just listen carefully and do what I say," she flew closely to Link's ear and began to whisper. "Now, first you have to. . . .and then you. . . .and if that doesn't work, just say. . . .and if all else fails, just. . . ." Link listened with interest, and couldn't help giggle at what Navi was suggesting for him to do.   
  
  
"Hey look," Kara informed her companions, "Mr. No-fairy is coming this way again."   
  
The others sighed in disgust. They enjoyed shoving Link's face in the mud, but they could only take so much of it at once.   
  
Link trudged up the slope, his shoulders ridged, his fists clenched, and his eyes narrow. Finally he made his way past Kara and Gaspar, ignoring their insults, and came face to face with the pudgy faced Kokiri Boss.   
  
"What's your problem, Lunk?" Mido demanded in an annoyed tone. "Didn't you get the message? Get lost!" with that he pushed the other Kokiri with dirty blond hair and blue eyes.   
  
Link was silent for a moment. But then he did something Mido never would have expected; he shoved him back! "No Mido," Link stated darkly, "what's YOUR problem?"   
  
"Ooh... Look's like Mr. No-fairy decided to get tough!" Kara snickered.   
  
"Shut up Kara!" Link barked angrily. The Kokiri girl, shocked and angered, grabbed Link by his shoulder. "Get your boogery hands off of me!" the Kokiri boy snapped again. "I don't want the fingers of someone who picks their nose when nobody's looking on me!" Kara released her grip on Link and stepped back in shock. How did he know about that? Gaspar seemed to think this incredibly funny and couldn't help but snicker. Link glared at him darkly. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you, Mr. Sleeps with a teddy bear and sucks his thumb at night!"  
  
Gaspar gasped in shock at this accusation. "Y-you leave Mr. Tinky out of this!" he protested. The fairies couldn't help themselves any longer, they all burst out in laughter and shifted their taunting from Link, for once, and onto the embarrassed bullies.   
  
"You think it's funny?" Link turned his attention on them. "Maybe you won't be laughing so hard when I tell everyone what you guys do in the Twins' flower garden every Thursday night!" that shut them up. Now that all the would be taunters and distractions were either sulking or completely hushed, he could concentrate on Mido and only on Mido. "You're nothing but a big bully Mido. That's what you are: a bully and a coward!" Link took a defiant step forward. Mido stood firm in place, however, giving Link his normal bored/aloof look. "You said I could go through earlier when I had both a sword and a shield."  
  
"Well I changed my mind," the Kokiri boss stated flatly.   
  
"I don't care," was Link's cold reply. "I'm going through, and nothing you do or say will make me do otherwise!"   
  
"Oh yeah?" Mido taunted smugly. "What are you going to do? You don't obviously think you're little insults are going to affect me, do you?" Mido laughed defiantly. "Get lost, shrimp! I'm tired of looking at your face!"   
  
"No, Mido," Link replied, "I won't."   
  
"Then we'll just have to make you leave AGAIN!" Mido roared. He, as well as Kara and Gaspar began to advance upon Link like before. Catching on to their plan, Link went to his last resort plan.   
  
He whipped out the Kokiri's sword and pointed it at the advancing bullies, and each one froze as they saw the sharp blade gleam in the early morning sunlight.   
  
"Hey, careful with that!" Gaspar protested. "It's sharp! You could hurt someone!"   
  
"I know."   
  
Kara and Gaspar, believing that Link had finally snapped, hid behind their leader in fear. Mido stared wide eyed at the dripping wet Kokiri before him. "Y-you wouldn't!" Mido stammered.  
  
"Normally, no," Link grunted. "But right now I am feeling very, VERY tempted."   
  
"You can't!" Mido continued, taking a step backwards. "The Great Deku Tree would banish you from the forest for sure!"   
  
"Then do me a favor Mido," Link growled. "Get-out-of-MY-WAY!"   
  
The three terrified Kokiri toppled over onto their backs as Link shouted. Gaspar and Kara scrambled to their feet and out of Link's path, but Mido still lay on the ground shaking like a jittery squirrel. "H-hey, Link, buddy!" the Kokiri boss stammered. "I-I was only trying to protect you! Y-y-you see, m-monsters appeared in the path n-not to long ago, and I just didn't want to see you get eaten!" Link growled angrily. "Okay, okay!" Mido whimpered as he scrambled to his feet. "Link, buddy, pal, I was only joking before when I said you couldn't go," he chuckled nervously, a large bead of sweat trickling down the side of his head. "R-r-right guys?" Kara and Gaspar immediately agreed with the Kokiri boss, laughing every bit as nervously. "S-s-sure you can go through!" Mido stepped aside and waved his arms in the direction of the Great Deku Tree. "After all, he doesn't like to be kept waiting." Seeing that his task was finally done, Link replaced the sword in its sheath and walked past the frightened Kokiri Boss into the path.  
  
"Thanks," he said in a cheery tone. "And have a nice day!" With that, he bolted into the path before the others could follow, with Navi flying close behind him.   
  
The other three Kokiri gave sighs of relief as they watched him leave.   
  
"Man, whoever thought the kid could get so gutsy," Kara simpered.  
  
"Maybe we went a little too far this time," Gaspar whined and began to suck his thumb.   
Mido stared after his rival bitterly. _Shoot,_ He thought to himself, _how did he become the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree?_ The thought sizzled in his mind, eating away at him until he couldn't handle it anymore. "Yeah, well, go ahead and have your fun while it lasts!" he yelled after the fleeting Kokiri with the blue fairy. "Fairy or no fairy, I'll never accept you as one of us, you freak!"   
  
  


Chapter 3: Exterminators Extraordinair!

  
  
Link slowed down his pace to just a quick walk rather than a run. He was in too good a mood to just blaze right through the grassy path to the Deku Tree. After all, he'd bested Mido on his own, without any help from Saria or any other Kokiri. That was quite an accomplishment! It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, so he began to hum an obscure walking tune which seemed oddly enough, very familiar, although he had never heard it before. At least, he thought he hadn't. Navi drifted along beside him, her tiny fairy wings beating at their normal, lazy rate.  
  
"You sure seem pleased with yourself," she commented. Link just smiled, and nodded.   
  
"Why shouldn't I be?" he replied. "Everything's great today!"   
  
"Are you sure it isn't just because you made the 'Boss of the Kokiri' eat his words?" she inquired.   
  
"Well, that's part of it," He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, did you see Mido's eyes? They had to be at least as big as his entire head! No, bigger! And the looks on Kara and Gaspar's faces when I took out the Kokiri's Sword," he took out the sword again to demonstrate the action. "If I'd known they'd be so scared of this little thing, I would have gotten long ago! Maybe I'll even make Mido appoint me the boss of the Kokiri!"   
  
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Navi shrieked in an excited disgust, and latched herself onto Link's face. "YOU WILL DO NOTHING OF THE SORT, YOU HEAR ME!?!"  
  
"Okay, okay!" Link screamed and plucked the eccentric fairy off his face. "What's gotten into you?"  
  
"Sorry," she apologized. "But what you just said was... wrong! You shouldn't just go around and use weapons and force to make everyone do what you want! It's uncivilized, and only beasts can do such a thing! If you were to do that, then it would be considered evil."   
  
"But why?"   
  
Navi thought for a way to best explain this. "Let me put it this way, if you used that sword to get everything you wanted, then you'd be a bully just like Mido. Even worse than Mido, actually."   
  
Link thought about that for a moment. He didn't like it when Mido, Gaspar and Kara bullied him around, and he knew that the other Kokiri wouldn't like it if he bullied them around either. "I get it," he announced. "Alright, I promise I'll never think of doing anything like that again."   
  
"Good," Navi breathed in relief. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you like that, but when you said what you did, it just made me mad."   
  
"I can see why," Link chuckled, and continued walking down the pathway. He began to snicker as he remembered the past half hour.   
  
"What are you laughing at now?"   
  
"The excuse Mido made just now for not letting me see the Great Deku Tree," he began to lough out loud. "Imagine, monsters in the path to the Great Deku Tree!" The fairy joined in the laughter at the mention of such an absurd thing. The Great Deku Tree's power would never allow monsters to appear so close to the Kokiri Village!   
  
At that moment, the ground beneath Link's feet seemed to explode upward, knocking the armed Kokiri onto his face. Slightly dazed and confused, it took him several seconds to collect his thoughts and sit upright, and then he wished he didn't, cause he found himself staring into the jaws of the most hideous creature he'd ever seen! It was a plant, of some sort, and a carnivorous, venus-flytrap type of plant at that! It's top leaves were purple and green, with a bit of red around the edges, where white, foamy substance dripped. And they were folded into a snapping mouth out of which a slimy, purple tongue flailed excitedly. Link didn't know what exactly that was, but he did know what category of species it belonged to.   
  
"MONSTER!" He and Navi shouted at once, and bolted down the path as fast as they could. They ran and ran and ran some more, never once daring to look back at the creature that nearly devoured them. Too bad for Link that there were more than just one. In front of him, another carnivorous plant emerged and twisted its stalk so that Link tripped over it and fell face first into the ground again. Twisting a vine around his legs, the Deku-Baba began to drag the helpless Kokiri towards him.   
  
But instead of getting a bite of Kokiri, the Deku-Baba got a taste of the Kokiri's Sword's blade. The attack hacked through the creature's stalk, lopping of its "head", killing it. Now lifeless, the Deku-Baba's body withered up and wasted away instantly.   
  
"Man," Link panted breathlessly, "that was close!"   
  
"Look's like that sword came in handy after all," Navi stated. The two stayed in the same spot to try and catch their breath before continuing.   
  
But danger doesn't wait for others to get their second wind.   
  
Another Deku-Baba sprouted up right where the last one did, and then another, and then another, and then two more! Soon, Link found himself surrounded by Deku-Babas, with no way past them! If he attacked any one with the sword, the others would descend upon him and gobble him up!   
  
But luck was on the duo's side that day. Just before lunging in to get first bite off the new meal, one of the Deku-Baba's looked up and noticed something large and ominous a short distance away. With a quick squeal, it alerted the others, who also squealed, and the five Deku- Babas retreated back into the soil whence they came.   
  
"Wh-what happened?" Link questioned, bewildered by the events.   
  
"Link," Navi, instructed in a hushed voice, "look!"   
  
He turned to see what the fairy spoke of, and as he did his jaw dropped and his voice escaped him. Totally stunned in awe, Link walked a few steps forward to get a better look at the spectacle before him. Never in his life did he ever imagine himself to see what he was seeing now. Before him stood the tallest, thickest tree he'd ever seen, with large, leafy branches and knots on the trunk, twisted in the form of two bushy eyebrows, and nose, and a moustache. "The Great Deku Tree..." he breathed in complete awe.   
  
"Ah, Navi," the Tree spoke in a old, yet strong voice, "thou hast returned!"   
  
"Yes, o Great Deku Tree," the fairy replied politely. "And I have brought Link with me, just as you asked."  
  
"Very good," the Deku Tree said, "thou hast done well." There was a brief pause of silence. "Link, come closer. Do not be afraid, I shant hurt thee."   
  
Link took a cautious step forward, trembling slightly. He knew the Great Deku Tree wouldn't hurt him, and yet he couldn't help but feel frightened by it. It was huge, wise, powerful. It made him seem small and weak. "Y-you wanted to see me?" Link asked in a shaky voice.   
  
"Indeed, I have sent for thee," the Deku Tree confirmed Link's question. "But let us not talk of that yet. Thou hast not eaten, and I assume that thou art hungry?"   
  
Link thought about it for a moment. He woke up earlier than usual (he usually woke up around 10:30, but Navi had awaken him around 7:00), and amongst running around, searching for swords and finding ways to outwit Mido, he skipped breakfast. "A little," he replied. The branches above his head rustled for a moment and out of the dropped an apple, which Link caught in his hands. But it wasn't any normal apple, as it was far bigger than many Link had ever seen, about twice the size, in fact! He looked up at the Deku Tree for approval, which the tree gave by urging him to eat the apple. Deciding it wouldn't be rude, he began to devour the apple with earnest, having eaten nothing all morning, and very little the night before, Link found the apple to be filling, and finished it off in five minutes.   
  
"Thank you," Link finally stated after he finished chewing. "It was delicious."   
  
The Great Deku Tree chuckled. "Now that thou belly is full, we may begin. Link, dost thou have any question thou wants to asketh of me?"   
  
Link thought for a moment. Really, there was a lot he wanted to know, a lot of question he wanted to ask, that only the Great Deku Tree could answer. Yet, there was a recent question that seemed to have importance over all the others. "Great Deku Tree," the boy began, "why were there monsters in the path here? I thought your power kept all monsters away from the village?"   
  
The Deku Tree emitted a sound that could be considered a sigh. "Indeed, thou art correct. My power is supposed to ward of all the monster that would causeth harm to the Kokiri."   
  
"Then, why were there monsters just now?"   
  
There was an awkward moment of silence between them all. "Link, Navi, listen closely to what it is I have to say," the addressed Kokiri and fairy leaned closely to listen. "It is true, my power protects the Kokiri village from the monsters that roam the woods and the fields beyond them, such as the wolfos, the poes, and the dreaded stalfos, but my power has been weakening as of late." There was another pause. "I have been cursed." The Kokiri and fairy seemed shocked by this news. They couldn't believe that something had happened to their guardian spirit! "A monster of foul design a wicked intent lurks within me, attempting to destroy me bit by bit. If it is not stopped, then I will surely die, and the monster will then leave from within me and surely attack the Kokiri."   
  
"No way!" Link protested in disbelief. "That can't be true!"   
  
"Isn't there anything you can do to stop it?" Navi pleaded.   
  
"Unfortunately, my powers extend all over the forest except for within myself," the Deku Tree admitted sadly. "That is why I called ye here, Link." the boy stood ridged as the Deku Tree announced his name. "Young Link, thou are the bravest and strongest of all the Kokiri. Thy courage is what makes you special. It gives you a strength that no other Kokiri has and it is one that cannot be taken away. It is that courage, as well as your strength and skill that I call upon now. I asketh of ye, to enter within me and to destroy the vile creature of the darkness."   
  
Link stood frozen in place for what seemed like ages. Only moments ago, his biggest challenge had been trying to convince Mido to let him through, and now the Great Deku Tree was asking him to do battle with a monster? It seemed like a big jump in the challenge level to him. "If thou art not ready for this challenge, say so. I do not want to force thee into it," the Great Deku Tree continued. But Link shook his head.   
  
"No," he stated confidently. "I'll do it!" He equipped the Deku Shield on his right arm and held the Kokiri's sword ready in his left hand. "I'm ready to handle anything that would threaten this forest!"   
  
The Deku Tree laughed pleasantly. "Very good, I am confident that ye shall emerge victorious, Link. Now enter," the Deku Tree's bark began to creak and snap as an opening in the shape of a mouth began to form below the moustache like formation, growing and stretching until it extended all the way down to the grassy floor of the meadow. "Do not be afraid, young one," the Deku Tree urged. "I have faith in ye, and thou must have faith in thyself. Navi," the young fairy flew out in plain view of the Deku Tree, "accompany Link and aid him in the task I have given him."   
  
Navi nodded. "I will."  
  
"Come on," Link spoke with and air of confidence, not showing any fear or anxiety of what was about to happen. "Let's go and teach those monsters that they can't mess with us!" He glanced up at the Deku Tree. "Um, by the way, how will we be able to find the monster?"   
  
"I shall provide a guide for thee, so that ye may find the creature without delay," the Great Deku Tree's leaves rustled, and seconds later, two, squat figures came rolling out of the tree's "mouth". They were about two feet tall, with large, oversized heads covered in leaves and possessing a tube like snout. They looked around worriedly with large, yellow eyes.   
  
"What are they?" Link asked.  
  
"Deku Scrubs," the fairy replied.   
  
"What? No way! You mean to tell me they actually exist?"   
  
"Well we're standing right in front of you, aren't we?" one of the scrubs said sulkily. "Now come on, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave." With that, the two scrubs disappeared back into the darkness of the Great Deku Tree, with Link and Navi hurrying in after them.   
  
"Don't worry, Great Deku Tree," Link paused before entering, "I won't fail you, I promise!" He then hurried inside after the others.   
  
  
They walked inside the bowels of the Great Deku Tree in silence, save for the sound of their feet against the ground or the tiny buzz of Navi's wings. The anxiety that Link didn't feel when outside with the Deku Tree now seemed to course through his veins, causing knots in his stomach and making swallowing very difficult. He decided to ease the tension by making conversation. "So, uh, what's your name?" he asked of the Deku Scrubs. The Scub with bright green leaves was first to reply.   
  
"My name is Screwbean," it said. "This is Dak," he motioned to the Scrub with bright orange leaves next to him.  
  
"Hey Dak, cool name!" Link attempted to sound cheerful and friendly. "Did you think of it yourself?" The second scrub didn't answer.   
  
"I wouldn't bother talking to him if I were you," Screwbean said. "He won't talk to anybody. Not since the day _he_ came."  
  
Navi decided to enter the conversation. "Who's _he_?"  
  
The scrub stopped walking and turned to face them. "_He_ is the reason why we're here," Screwbean explained bitterly. "_He_ is the one responsible for all this! _He_ is the reason why we're the only two Deku Scrubs left in the tree!"   
  
"But what did _he_ do?" Link wondered.   
  
"_He_ brought the gohmas."   
  
"He brought the what?"  
  
Screwbean gulped nervously and began to explain the Deku Tree's plight in full. "About a month ago this man in black armor came to the Great Deku Tree, accompanied by two monsters. One was a huge skeleton, the other was a squatty looking thing, clothed in heavy, loose green robes with a pointed hat. The man had come looking for something, which he thought the Great Deku Tree had. The Great Deku Tree told the man that he didn't have what the man was looking for, and even if he did, he'd never give it to someone as evil as that man. So the man and the two monsters left, and the man told the Deku Tree that if he didn't change his mind soon, that he'd make the Deku Tree sorry." Dak paused for a moment to collect his thoughts of what happened next. "A week later, the man came back with the same two monsters, looking for the same thing again. And again, the Great Deku Tree refused to give the man this thing. This made the man in black armor very angry, and he cursed the Great Deku Tree, saying that he'd regret refusing to give the man what he wanted. Later, the man appeared inside the tree and left this ugly little one eyed, red monster in our den, and then disappeared.   
  
"The ugly monster was just as small as the rest of us Deku Scrubs, and maybe it was a little stronger, but we outnumbered it, so it never cause any real problems." Screwbean paused. What happened next struck some nerve of terror whenever he thought of it. "Another week passed and nothing really happened with the strange monster. It nibbled on the roots a little, but we hardly allowed that since it'd hurt the Great Deku Tree, and the monster got weak because it couldn't eat a lot. The evil man probably found out about this, and sent two other monsters inside here. One was an ugly lizard thing, the other was a wolfos. They found the red, one eyed monster and fed it this slimy, bad smelling drink out of a bottle. That's when the bad stuff started happening.  
  
"The two new monsters suddenly disappeared, and then the red creature started hissing and growling at us. We didn't think much of it a first, but..." His voice trailed off as his eyes began to mist with tears. The thought of what happened next was to unbearable for him to recollect, and he burst into loud wails and sobs. "And then-then the monster got really big and-and scary and mean!" the Deku Scrub choked on the words as he sputtered them from his tube shaped snout. "We tried to fight it off, b-but it was too strong! It hit us with its tail and began eating my friends and my brothers and sisters, and, and..." the sobs and wails now took total control of the Scrub's voice now, preventing him from continuing any further for a few moments. When he had cried himself dry, Screwbean continued. "All but a small percentage of us managed to escape with our lives, and of those of us that got away, only two of us remain. The others were eventually found and eaten by the monster." Screwbean fell silent looked at the ground, and sniffled.   
  
"How awful," Navi stated with a sniffle of her own.   
  
Link smacked his fist against his palm. "We can't let that monster get away with this," he remarked sternly. "We can't let it attack these scrubs and hurt the Great Deku Tree! Navi, we have to teach this Gohma thing a lesson!"   
  
"Well, here's your chance," Screwbean spoke in a subdued voice, "'cause here we are."   
  
The group of travelers came to a halt before a great, gaping hole that lead into a room lined with twisted roots.   
  
"And, uh, where is here exactly?" Link wondered.   
  
"Gohma's lair," Screwbean explained. "This, is where the monster lives: deep beneath the earth in the Great Deku Tree's root system, where it feeds and can hide from the light of the sun."   
  
"Well, I guess we'd better teach that thing a lesson," Navi announced.   
  
"We?" Screwbean stammered. "Uh-uh, **you** are going to teach it a lesson, not us!"  
  
"You mean you're not going to help?" Link inquired.   
  
"Haven't you been listening?" Screwbean squeaked in fear. "This gohma is a vicious killer! There's no way we're going in there! Our job was to lead you hear, and we did that, so now we're leaving! Come on Dak, let's get out of here before the fireworks start!" With that, the two Deku Scrubs scampered away as fast as their short legs could move them.   
  
"Well that's gratitude for you!" Link scowled in slight annoyance. ,br>   
"Good help is so hard to find these days," Navi agreed. With the Scrubs gone, the duo returned their attention to their task at hand.   
  
After much silence and standing in one place, Navi spoke. "So... guess this is it then."   
  
"Yeah," Link replied dryly.   
  
"Um, you scared?"   
  
"Are you?"   
  
"I asked first, so you answer first."   
  
"And I last so you should answer first."   
  
"So then, I take it you are scared?"   
  
"Me? Uh-uh, I'm not scared."   
  
"Then you can go ahead first, 'cause I am!" The fairy whimpered and hid herself behind the Kokiri. "Now don't be afraid, I'm right behind you."   
  
"Well _that's_ comforting," Link joked half-heartedly. Finally drawing all the courage he could muster, he withdrew his sword and crept silently into the monster's domain, hoping that the Deku Tree was correct and that he was able to handle such a task.   
  
The room was cold and the air was thick with the foul stench of rotting flesh and droppings, but aside from rocks, roots and dirt, seemingly empty. Searching high and low, Link could find little to even suggest that the monster was still there. All this did was make them more anxious for something to happen, and afraid of what would.   
  
"See anything yet?" Link asked his fairy in a hushed voice.   
  
"I don't know," she mumbled in response. "My eyes are shut too tight and I can't see a thing."   
  
"You're a big help."   
  
"I'm sorry, I'll try and be more brave."   
  
"Sh! Listen!" They froze in place.   
  
"What is it?" the fairy implored.   
  
Link stood stiff as a board. "I thought I heard something." He walked backwards until his back touched the wall. Again he stood in silence and listened.   
  
"Looks like there's nothing here!" Navi said after a moment passed. "C'mon, let's go!"  
  
"GAH!"   
  
"AIIIIIE!"   
  
The duo rushed away from that spot in a mad frenzy and hid themselves behind one of the out of place boulders that lined the floor.   
  
"Link, what happened!"   
  
The Kokiri pointed a shaking finger at the wall. "It-i-i-t-the wall moved!" The fairy shot him a disapproving look. "I-I know it sounds kinda silly but I know I felt something move around in that wall. Come and see." He lead the fairy over to the spot in question, where they could see vague forms moving behind the walls face. "See, I told you."   
  
"Link you dummy, this isn't a wall," Navi explained, "It's an egg sack!"   
  
"Egg sack?"   
  
"Yes, apparently this gohma is a gohma queen, and this is the sack in which she lay her eggs in. Link, this is bad, one gohmas bad enough, if these things hatch then we'll have hundreds of thousands of gohmas on our hands. If one gohma is enough to threaten the Great Deku Tree's life-"   
  
"Then all of these could destroy the entire forest in no time flat!" Link realized.   
  
"And worse yet, the movement means that these eggs are very close to hatching. Link, we've got to find some way to destroy these beasts, and quick!"   
  
"But how?"   
  
"I don't know," the fairy admitted. So they stood there, staring at the egg sack with anticipation, trying to figure out a way they could exterminate the gohmas without endangering themselves. Eventually an answer came to Link. He clicked his fingers in revelation.   
  
"A fire!" he announced. "We could burn them and then they'd all be... no wait, forgot. We could burn down the Great Deku Tree by accident."   
  
"No, actually, that's not such a bad idea," Navi quipped. "If we use a controlled fire spell it should work. Now lets see, what's the command for the spell again? Oh yes: IGNIUS GRANDUS!" She pointed her tiny finger at the egg sack and a thin beam of light shot between the two. Seconds later, the entire eggsack in front of then erupted into a giant wall of blue flames.   
  
"This what you called controlled?" Link hacked as smoke blown into his face.   
  
"Don't worry, I can control how big the fire gets with my magic. Plus, this fire will burn faster and hotter than any other normal fire, so it'll get the gob done quicker."   
  
The egg sack quivered and shook as it burned, and tiny, inhuman shrieks could be heard from within.   
  
"I hope so," Link stated, "cause I don't want to have to fight any of those things if they decide to hatch early."   
  
* * * * *   
  
Somewhere, deep in another part of the Great Deku Tree, a large mass hangs sleepily from the ceiling of bark and webbing left behind by skulltulas that used to make the Great Deku Tree their home. Until the monster ate them, anyway. The great monster just finished devouring the carcass of a large skullwalltula it was saving and, feeling, full, decided to take a nice quiet nap. It's powerful tail curled up into a twisted coil, its large, serrated claws dug deeply, but loosely into the ceiling, and its smaller, gasping claws folded above the massive main body.   
  
Then an impulse entered into the creature's mind just as it was about to drift off to sleep. Something was harming its eggs!   
  
Gohma's large, yellow eye snapped open as the message relayed through its mind like a radio transmission. Immediately succumbing to its maternal instincts, the monster was filled with great energy and began to hastily crawl along the ceiling to the point where her eggs had been laid.   
  
* * * * *   
  
The blue fairy sneezed and hacked while trying to wave the smoke away from her. "Maybe setting the eggs on fire wasn't such a good idea," she proclaimed between coughs.   
  
Link nodded in agreement. Over the course of five minutes the entire egg sack burned and all the eggs and gohmas within it died. One or two monsters did free themselves from the burning inferno, but met their end at the sharp blade of Link's sword. Now, all that remained of them was charred ash and thick, black smoke that made the air inside the chamber even more unbearable.   
  
"Let's get out of here," he hacked. "The smoke is killing me." They made their way to the exit, where something huge and solid landed with a loud crash, blocking their way out. "What the-!?" Link stammered in surprise, and then froze. In front of him was the largest, most grotesque creature he ever saw.   
  
And Queen Gohma was not happy.   
  
With an ear splitting shriek, the monster charged the small child with all the speed her bulk could allow, and swiped one of her large, clawed feet at her opponent, knocking him halfway across the room. Link was stunned for a few moments, but jumped to his feet again, ready to face his opponent.   
  
Said opponent shrieked again, and her long tail whipped forward as quick as lightning. Link barely managed to dodge the attack, and the tail slammed into the wall, sending bits of dirt, rock and roots raining from the ceiling.   
  
Link realized there was only one thing left to do. Run. And boy, did he run!   
  
"Navi, do something!" he cried as Gohma began shooting beams of red energy from its eye. One hit only a few feet away from him and threw Link onto the floor.   
  
"Like what!?" the fairy exclaimed, dodging the falling debris.   
  
"KILL IT!"   
  
"Why me? You're the one with the sword!"   
  
Again, Gohma lashed out her tail, cutting a tear down the middle of the wall adjacent to her. A thick, green ooze began to sizzle and burn at the edges of the gash.   
  
"Be careful with her tail!" Navi shouted. "That poison will kill you instantly!"   
  
"You mean if the tail doesn't impale me through my heart first, right?" Link snapped.   
  
"Here she comes!" Navi warned as the behemoth charged at the Kokiri at full speed. Link jumped the charge again, but Gohma still continued forward, and even began scrambling up the wall and onto the ceiling, where the thick cloud of smoke masked it from view.   
  
"Where'd it go?" Link wondered.   
  
"I don't know," the fairy admitted. "I can't see it through all that smoke."   
  
"Wait a second, what's that red light over there?"   
  
A second later, the small spot of red that the Kokiri noticed surged forward in a red beam of energy and blasted apart the boulder he hid behind earlier. Again Gohma fired her eye beam, this time hitting the wall and catching it on fire.   
  
"I don't think Gohma can see us through the smoke either," Link added with a touch of hope in his voice. Gohma fired again, this time striking the ground five feet in front of him. "Maybe I spoke to soon..."   
  
_This is bad,_ Navi thought darkly. _ I don't know what's going to kill us first? Will the smoke choke us to death, the toxins of Gohma's poison melt us alive, or will Gohma's eye laser reduce us to ash like the gohma eggs. Hey wait a second, if the toxins in gohma's poison are flammable, and the oxygen molecules in the smoke can carry the heat of Gohma's lasers to it, along with providing large amounts of carbon for energy, then... uh-oh!_   
  
"GET DOWN!" Navi ordered excitedly. At that moment, the three compounds caused a chemical reaction. A huge explosion issued, sending flames in various directions and shaking everything from the ceiling, including Gohma. The creature lay stunned for a few seconds, but then up righted itself and continued its onslaught.   
  
Link watched in terror as the monster picked itself off the ground, seemingly unaware of the fires that burned around it, and glared at him with its large, yellow eye.   
  
As he stared back at the monster, Link began to feel less and less afraid. Now he was feeling angry. This monster was threatening the very existence of the Kokiri, and the Great Deku Tree chose him to save them all by killing this monster. And what had Link done the entire time? Run a hide like a coward. Well no more! Feeling a new sense of courage swelling within him, Link withdrew the Kokiri's Sword and the Deku Shield and stared at Gohma defiantly.   
  
"Alright Gohma," he announced with an air of confidence, "I'm tired of this game. My name is Link, and I was chosen by the Great Deku Tree to protect the Kokiri from harm. And if that means that I have to kill you, then prepare to meet your maker!"   
  
Gohma calmly replied by swiping one of its smaller, yet powerful grasping claws forward, knocking the Kokiri's Sword from Link's hand and sending it flying upwards until it imbedded itself in the ceiling. The feeling of courage drained from Link's body as quickly as it appeared.   
  
"We're done for," Link stammered meekly. Gohma advanced more slowly now, knowing that her opponent was now helpless.   
  
"Link that was very brave of you," Navi comforted her companion. "It was completely ineffective, but still very brave. I now know that even though we didn't win, that the Great Deku Tree made the right choice for trying to save the forest."   
  
"Thanks Navi," Link replied. "And it's nice to know that I had a great guardian fairy for a while, even if you were as helpful to me in this battle as a ball of grime."   
  
"And now we're even." Was all the fairy said. At that moment, Gohma's eye began to glow again, and this time, Link and Navi didn't try to run. Instead, they clung to one another and prepared for the end.   
  
But fate has many ways, and while many times a person can defy fate, there are some twists and breaks that are just not allow to happen. This was one of them.   
  
"Leave them alone!" A voice called. A Deku Nut went flying through the air and struck Gohma in its eye, and popped in a bright flash. It fell to the ground instantly and began thrashing and shaking as if its internal organs were on fire. More Deku Nuts came zinging through the air and struck Gohma's armor like exoskeleton, but none caused more pain and agony to the creature than the first one did.   
  
"Wh-what happened?" Link sputtered as soon as he realized that they were not dead. He glanced over at where Gohma sat, twitching in pain and agony.   
  
"It's the Deku Scrubs!" Navi squeaked in delight. Dak and Screwbean hurried into the vast chamber, still firing Deku Nuts at the huge monster. "But I thought you guys were too scared of Gohma to fight?"   
  
Screwbean stopped firing and turned to talk to the fairy. "We were," he stated meekly, "but when we were leaving, Dak said that he wanted to stay and help you fight, that we owed it to you since you were risking your lives to help us. He eventually convinced me to come back with him. I hope we didn't arrive at a bad time."   
  
"No way!" Navi cried gleefully. "You're timing couldn't be better! And we're both grateful that you two came, right Link?"   
  
The Kokiri had different matters on his mind, however. "Look!" he exclaimed. "Something's wrong with Gohma!"   
  
"It looks like its in real pain," Screwbean stated. "But our Deku Nuts couldn't have harmed it, its armor is impenetrable!"   
  
"Oh, I'm such an idiot!" Navi cursed suddenly. "Dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy!" she beat her fist on her head a few times. "I forgot this entire time that while a gohma's armor is so thick and strong that no axe, sword, or arrow can penetrate it, its eye is so sensitive that a grain of sand can cause it pain and suffering for weeks!"   
  
"YOU MEAN YOU KNEW THAT THE ENTIRE TIME!?!" Link screamed angrily.   
  
"Hey, take it easy," she sulked, "I was scared."   
  
"Never mind," the Kokiri grumbled. "You've given me an idea. Quick, someone give me a Deku Nut!" Dak spit one into his outstretched hand. Link stared at the saliva covered nut for a second in apprehension. "Er, thanks," he stated, and then took out his slingshot. At that moment, Gohma was recovering from the pain of the first blow and standing itself up again.   
  
"Gohma's recovered!" Navi cried.   
  
"Good," Link stated. Het set the Deku Nut in the slingshot and pulled it back, taking aim for Gohma's eye. "It's lights out for you!" He taunted the beast, who only roared defiantly. Then Link quickly changed his aim from Gohma to the ceiling and fired. Gohma followed the nut upwards as it passed through the thinning cloud of smoke and came in contact with the ceiling. It popped, knocking dirt, pebbles, and most importantly, the Kokiri's sword down. The weapon flipped over and over until it looked like a buzz-saw blade, and it didn't stop until the blade embedded itself in Gohma's iris.   
  
The creature bellowed in agony and began to squirm and twitch with such violent force that the small group had to retreat or be stomped on. Gohma howled in pain, and her armor began to burst into flames all over. At last, the exoskeleton cracked and shattered into pieces and quickly dissolved into nothingness, along with the fire and smoke, which also vanished completely. All that remained of the battle was Link's sword, which was imbedded blade first into the ground. The group all walked forward to inspect the spot where their adversary had been only moments before. No one spoke for a long time.   
  
"She's dead," someone broke the silence. It was a slight, quiet voice that neither Link, nor his fairy had heard before. "You killed her," the voice spoke again. Link looked about him to see who had spoken. It took him a little while to realize who the person talking was.   
  
"Y-you killed the gohma!" Dak exclaimed.   
  
Screwbean seemed completely shocked. "Dak, you're talking!"   
  
The orange leaved Deku scrub seemed to smile, something which it hadn't done for ages. "She's dead!" Dak said even louder than before. "You killed the gohma!" the Scrub began to jump up and down in glee. "You killed Gohma! You killed Gohma!"   
  
The reality of the situation finally dawned on the other three. They began to shout, dance, and sing for joy at their accomplishment. The gohma was dead. The forest, the Kokiri, and most importantly, the Great Deku Tree were safe from its threat! Link picked up the Kokiri's Sword from the ground and thrust in the air.   
  
"Yeah, take that Gohma!" He cried in triumph. "And let that be a lesson to anyone who tries to cross paths with Link, the strongest Kokiri in all the forest!"   
  
A blue-white glow formed around Link's body just then. He began to feel light and slightly dizzy, and was unable to tell what was going on. His own body was beginning to fade.   
  
"Navi, what's happening?"   
  
"The Great Deku Tree must know we've been successful!" Navi explained in excitement. "He's taking us back outside!" within a few seconds, the two of the vanished, leaving the Deku Scrubs behind. If they knew that they were alone now, they didn't show it. They just continued singing their merry victory song.   
  
"Ding dong, the Gohma's dead! Sing it high, sing it loud! Ding dong the mean old Gohma's dead!"   
  
* * * * *   
  
What happened during the teleportation, Link could never recollect entirely. It was like being pressed against a plate of glass which eventually wrapped around you and sucked you into a large vortex filled with various colors and openings, until one of the worm-holes opened up and swallowed you whole and you suddenly found yourself plopped in a completely different place. It was a disorienting experience, and Link was only able to stagger around like a drunk college student and babble incoherently for a few seconds afterwards.   
  
Despite the young hero's current state of being, however, the Great Deku Tree felt no need for waiting to congratulate him. "Well done Link!" He greeted warmly as the Kokiri and his fairy companion materialized. "Thou hast fulfilled my wishes, just as I knew ye would! I thank thee for thy courage! As well as little Navi, who I am equally pleased with!"   
  
Navi, being more used to the effects of teleporting, was quick to thank the Deku Tree for his kind words, and issued Link to do the same. All she was successful in getting from the confounded Kokiri, however, was "welc om etomoo nsid e..." which clearly showed that he was in no condition to answer any requests for a good while.   
  
The Great Deku Tree found amusement in the response. "Worry thyself not, little fairy. Although he may not seem like it, the young lad can understand everything said to him." The Great Deku Tree chuckled slightly as Link lost his balance and fell flat on his back, where he stayed. But the Deku Tree stopped chuckling after a bit. Navi could see that the conversation was about to take a serious turn. "Navi, Link, I ask that ye shall not interrupt whilst I speak, for I haveth much to say and very little time in which to say it." Navi only gave the old tree a puzzled look, which the Great Deku Tree saw easily. "You see, I am dying."   
  
Those last words seemed to snap Link out of his trance. He bolted upright and screamed "DYING!? But you can't be dying! We- we killed the gohmas, all of them, just like you asked!"   
  
"Calm thyself, Link," the Great Deku Tree interrupted. "Yes, it is true that thou hast destroyed the evil within me, but even then, twas not enough to save me. Do not feel regretful, it is not thy fault which brings my ultimate demise, but mine own. I hath waited so long since the monster first entered within me to call on you, because I knew thou were not ready for the task when it first came. In doing so, I hath doomed myself to death even before ye were called to me, and for that I apologize, for I know that it is not fair to the both of ye." The Great Deku Tree paused, allowing the monologue to take full effect on his audience. Link resting on his knees now, looking at the ground downcast. Navi sat herself on his shoulder, and began to sniffle quietly. He was able to sense that they fully understood that they hadn't failed in their task, as neither spoke in protest or apologized for their failure. He then continued. "Listen carefully to what I have to say now, as it hath greatest importance to the fate of the forest, the Kokiri, and ultimately all of Hyrule. I assume the Deku Scrubs I provided as guides informed you of a man being responsible for all this?" Link nodded. "Indeed it is true. A wicked man of the desert cast this curse upon me. His reason for doing so I know not exactly. I do know that he was after a special jewel that sparkles with the mysterious light of the forest, but what for, I can only guess.   
  
"But my strong suspicion is that he needed it to unlock the gateway to the golden land of power, the Sacred Realm, in which the sacred relic known as the Triforce lay. I believe he means to obtain the Triforce for his own dark purposes. Link! This evil man must not be allowed to enter the Sacred Realm and take the sacred Triforce! If he does then Hyrule, nay, the entire world will be thrown into a catastrophic age of darkness and evil which it will never be able to recover from! He must be stopped at all-" but the Great Deku Tree broke in a fit of coughing at that moment and was unable to continue. Link and Navi jumped up quickly and asked if there was anything they could do to alleviate the Deku Tree's pain, but he instructed them to remain where they were. He took a long, raspy breath, and sighed a weary, old sigh, one of a person who knew that his time was near.   
  
"Link," the Great Deku Tree continued, "Though ye may only be a child, I asketh of thee to do whatever may be possible to stop this evil man's schemes! I am asking thee to show the same courage thou hast just showneth to me and leave the forest into the world beyond and save Hyrule from the evil king of Gerudos named Gannondorf Dragmire. Will thou step up to the challenge?" Link didn't speak for a while, but eventually he nodded his head, slowly. The Great Deku Tree sighed again, seemingly getting older and older with each passing moment. His leaves were no longer a deep green, but bright orange, some even browning, and his richly colored bark was becoming light and cracked in places. "Very good," he said in response. "Very good. I now give to you the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, or Kokiri Emerald, the very stone that the evil Gannondorf was searching for." With that said, the air around them darkened greatly, except for a small point of faint green light, which grew brighter and larger with every seconds, until it flashed a brilliant white and was replaced by a glittering green emerald with a shining tail of gold , shaped in the same fashion of the Kokiri's swirl. It was cool to the touch and seemed to calm Link's very soul as he stared into its mysterious, yet soothing aura.   
  
"Take this," the Great Deku Tree instructed, "and go and find the Princess of Destiny. Show it to her and only her, and she will understand the rest. I hath foreseen it." The Deku Tree paused again and drew a long, deep breath. Its bark was getting even paler and its leaves even more brown and dead as death's scythe approached. "Remember, Link," it stated again, "though thou may face dark times in which it seems little thou does matter, remember that every action against the evil darkness, no matter how little or insignificant it may seem, will always have an impact. Just as you help others, the power of those who's hearts thou touches will in turn empower thee in the time of great need."   
  
Link spoke for the first time since the Great Deku Tree announced that he was dying. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.   
  
The Deku Tree chuckled, despite the fact that it would soon live no more. "Thou whilst understand those words when the day comes." The Deku Tree coughed again, and drew one final breath of air. "Go now Link, and Navi. Both of you, go and protect Hyrule from the fate that will befall if the evil king of the desert claims of the Trifroce. Go now, and have faith! Link, thou art courageous." With that said, the Great Deku Tree finally gave up putting off his death. He surrendered to the inevitable, and his leaves finally darkened all the way, and his bark was pale a cracked all over. A few leaves were blown off by a sudden gust of wind and fell down in front of the Kokiri. It wasn't until the leaves touched down that Link finally broke down and cried.   
  
His fairy began to cry too, as the Great Deku Tree had been a great friend to her, and now he was gone. And while Link didn't have any sort of personal relationship with the guardian spirit, he too grieved for its passing, as with it gone there was no one left to protect the Kokiri. He feared for the lives of them all, and he feared for the life of himself as he'd have to leave the forest and venture to the outside world. The forest was all he'd ever known. It was his world, and now he was forced to leave it behind for some alien terrain. Or he could refuse and stay in the forest, but then the rest of the land, not just the forest, would be in trouble, as that evil man would find the Triforce. No, he needed the Kokiri Emerald, which Link had, which would mean the desert man would return to the forest, and who knew what he'd bring with him this time.   
  
"Gannondorf," Link said between sobs. That was the desert king's name. The name of the evil being who was responsible for his grief. Link's sadness melted away as a bitter hatred suddenly overtook him. "He can't do this," Link sniffled, standing upright with the Kokiri Emerald in his hands. "He can't be allowed to run around and do such terrible things." He glared angrily at the sky. "I won't let him. I won't let him do it! Not to anyone else!" He thrust a fist into the air and yelled. "You hear me Gannondorf? You're gonna regret ever messing with this Kokiri, 'cause I'm gonna make sure that what you did here doesn't happen anywhere else! I'll make you wish you were never born!"   
  
Link felt something touch his shoulder. He turned and saw Navi fluttering next to him, still crying slightly. "Link," she sobbed, "It makes me upset too, b-but- screaming threats won't don't any good."   
  
The Kokiri dropped his arm and unclenched his fists. For the first time he realized how tired he was, and a look at the sky told him that it was late, and the sun was setting. Their exploits in the Great Deku Tree took more time than he realized. He sighed, and looked at the Spiritual Stone of the Forest in his hand. "I know," he stated sadly.  
  
"Let's go home and rest," Navi whispered soothingly. They turned to leave, but before doing so, Navi flew out to the lifeless body where the spirit of the Deku Tree once resided. She reached out and hand and touched the now dry and peeling bark. A small sob escaped her throat and a tear splashed onto the knots that formed the nose of the tree.   
  
"Goodbye, Great Deku Tree."  



End file.
